April 10
Today we woke up early and headed to get breakfast with Alice and Jacob joining us. We started off the day by driving to a wildlife conservatory to watch a few videos to learn more about endangered Banteng, or Bos javanicus, which is a type of cow that are vital to the local jungle ecosystem. The banteng is the second endangered species to be successfully cloned and the first to survive for more than a week (the first was another species of cow called a guar that died two days after being born). After learning about the cows and how the conservatory is reintroducing them to the wild, we got to walk through the area where they were keeping the banteng and some of the ones we saw were very hefty. After looking at all the cows, we headed back to the main building where we took a little lunch and drink break. Then P’ Nom and his son Sanuk taught us how to make a salt lick for the elephants and how to make little seedling balls so we could slingshot them through the forest. Once we made everything, we headed off to the forest behind the conservatory to lay out the salt licks and to slingshot our seedlings, watching for signs of elephants and spotting some monkeys and colorful birds along the way. After finishing up, we went back to our hotel to rest and swim. Then we met back up with Jacob and Alice, and they led us in a few teamwork games and then ate dinner before returning to the hotel to sleep.
April 11
TODAY WE GET TO SEE ELEPHANTS UP CLOSE!!!! Yayyyy!!
Once waking up, we ate breakfast and got on the road as fast as we could so we could spend as much time as possible with the elephants at a sanctuary called Elephant Haven where Kuhn used to work. Once arriving at the elephant sanctuary, we were immediately face to face with the elephants so we started feeding them bananas and pineapple which they loved. The oldest elephant in the sanctuary is 65, and the youngest one is only 28; she was the troublemaker of the group according to Kuhn. There are a total of six elephants that were rescued from being ridden by tourists, and since they can no longer return to the wild, they will live out their time here. They are all female at the sanctuary, and the three oldest elephants hang out together and then the three younger ones hang out with each other; they were all very chunky and cute. After feeding them, we got a little introduction to the elephant sanctuary, and then we got to make little rice buckets with rice, bananas, and oats and shaped them into little balls to make it easier to feed the elephants. After, we all cut watermelons also to feed the elephants. Then they let the elephants out to walk around the forest so they could get water from the river. We all got to follow them through the forest and feed and take pictures with them which was pretty awesome. After following the elephants, we went back up to the main building and had lunch. After eating, we went back to the hotel to finish packing up and told P’ Nom, Kuhn, Jacob, Sanuk, and Alice a heartfelt goodbye. Next, we made a few pitstops at 7-11 and got some snacks for our ride to The Hub which is a hotel that has actual floating rooms on the River Kwai. Once arriving, we got to rest a bit and then we went to the boat deck where we got to get on a boat and float around on the back; we also got to jump off of the top of the boat and do tricks. After the boat, we had a little family-style dinner, and then we went off to bed. All around, an incredible day!
April 12
Today we got to go to the Erawan Falls. But before we ate some really yummy breakfast. After eating, we all waited on the dock to catch a boat ride over to the waterfalls. Once arriving, we had a little bit of a hike to get there but once arriving, the waterfalls were very beautiful. The waterfall is a seven-tiered fall that’s said to resemble Erawan (which is named after Erawan the three-headed white elephant of Hindu mythology). There are seven different tiers to the waterfall, but sadly we only made it up to the 4th tier or the waterfall as we were all pretty content with the natural rock slide at the 4th tier. Once finishing swimming, we got lunch and then headed back to our hotel where we then grabbed all of our bags and brought them to the van for our drive to Ayuttaya, the old capital of Thailand. Next, we brought everything to our rooms and went to the mall to pick out Songkran shirts which are flowery and bright to prepare for the festivities tomorrow. After getting shirts, we ate some really yummy pizza. Once finishing pizza, some of us got some ice cream then we went back to the hotel to get a good night of rest before our big day ahead of us.
April 13
Today we got up bright and early ready to fight! After eating breakfast, we headed to a Muay Thai lesson. We learned how to do an introduction dance where we honor our trainers and mentors for teaching us how to fight. After we were taught how to fight the proper way. They taught how to punch, kick, and knee the punching bags. Next, they taught us a few partner moves, but rest assured parents, we weren’t allowed to actually hit each other so no one got hurt. After our lesson, we had lunch and then celebrated Songkran! Songkran is the Thai New Year’s national holiday or Thai New Year. The holiday is known for its water festivals that last over three days in every town across the country. Major streets are closed to traffic and are used as battlegrounds for water fights. Celebrants, young and old, participate in this tradition by splashing water on each other. Before heading to the street for the water fight, we headed to the temple to get blessed. After getting blessed, we arrived at the road where everything was happening! There were people with hoses, buckets full of breath-taking ice water, and water guns spraying everywhere. There were also lots of street food vendors on the sides of the roads for when people needed breaks. There were also people walking around with liquid chalk and gently putting it on everyone’s faces, and it was really fun. After our water fight, we headed to the hotel, rested, then got dinner before passing leader roles over to the next crew. Happy Songkran!
– Professor Riley
